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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · fine · hand · fork · swing · wound · vault · pop

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fork — in a road
  4. swing — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fine — high quality
  9. pop — music
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. vault — a safe
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com